JANÁČEK

LEOŠ JANÁČEK (1854-1928): PIANO WORKS (I)

Just like Dvořák, Janáček played the organ, especially from 1875 to 1905, more than the piano, even though he mainly composed at the keyboard after the death of his daughter Olga. He left only a few masterpieces, short works or cycles juxtaposing real or imaginary dialogues and marked by considerable differences in affectivity and dynamic. Their language—questioning, amorous, exalted, desperate or violent—forms a sort of dreamlike counterpoint to his fantastic operatic repertoire. Slávka Pěchočová’s playing reflects the rigour of her first teacher, Martin Hršel, and the almost-Impressionistic expressiveness of her second, the famous Professor Ivan Moravec.